> "You’ve already won, end this with what you’ve stolen."

>

> – Letters of Admission, Letter 2.

Elena lay sprawled in the empty riverbed, back to the ground and face to the bridge, to the sky. The bridge offered no consolation, nor did the ground offer any comfort. However, the night wrapped around her like a splendid blanket, holding her tight, inside and out, shielding her from being seen.

When she awoke, her breathing didn’t change, nor did she readily move.Tired as she was, movement did not come easily. Her thoughts swam. At first she was filled with confusion at where she was, why it was so dark, and then she remembered jumping. The confusion returned when she realized she felt no pain or injury. When she had tried to take her life all those other times, it had hurt. Now, she felt like a girl lying at the bottom of an empty river staring at a full moon.

She felt comfortable. It took her a moment to remember that she had been in pain, incredible pain, and had been fading from this existence. Looking at the moon, she remembered the Necromancer, and, finally, she remembered that he had brought her back. Her eyes widened, the chill night air enveloped her lungs, and warmed her heart, “he brought me back.”

An odd sensation filled Elena. Not like the love of her church, or even the love her parents once gave her, no, this was the sensation of being seen and valued by an existence she empathized with, an existence that understood being cast out. Sitting up, she looked around and found no one. She checked her body to double check for wounds, and looked to the bridge. It became obvious that this was no dream, jumping from such a height would kill or break her. Based on what she saw of herself, her body was as intact as it should be.

She stood, and walked. Thoughts and emotions filled her. The most important sensation she felt was “value”. The necromancer had brought her back, and she had seen him. Elena paused, a thought occurring to her, “the Necromancer can’t bring people back to life.” A deep, wicked smile spread across her face, one filled with distinct glee and importance. “I’m a jaan now.”

Elena continued walking, finding a way out of the riverbed. She recalled anything she could of the jaan. Sin, the Goddess of Death in opposition to Sol, had torn pieces of the night and wove them together with human emotion to create monstrous beings in her service – or so the church said.

Elena continued down the road she came from, no homes were lit, and no one walked these streets besides herself. She continued her thoughts, remembering what her Sunday school had taught her. The Necromancer had created his own jaan. He used the souls of the dead and forced them back into their bodies. Her teachers had said that these undead jaan were meant to force humans to fear and know death; and now Elena was one of them.

Through the neighborhood, street lights were lit, and homes were dim. The silent streets welcomed her with a promenade fit for one of the damned. Broken sidewalks, cracked and split wooden fences, and one lone black cat waiting at the end of the street.

As she walked past, the cat walked beside her. In truth, Elena had no idea where she was going. Home was not an option, if she was undead, then her parents would force her to the main temple to be sent to the afterlife. If she was fine, and somehow survived the fall without a scratch, and merely dreamt of the Necromancer, then her father would invoke his wrath upon her for leaving home. No. She would not be returning.

Elena stood next to the now empty park, waves of misty, cool air washing over her. “I need to find the Necromancer,” she said into the still night air. If I find him, then I’ll have a place where I’m valued, wanted. Her little void companion, the black cat, then bounded through the street as something caught its interest – Elena didn’t see anything. She steeled herself, and began walking through the streets, in search of the Necromancer.

It didn’t take long for her to realize her efforts were shortsighted. She searched the nearby neighborhood, shopping centers, even dark alleys, hoping for signs of the enigmatic figure, but there were none. What signs would an ancient evil leave? Elena thought for a moment, and remembered that he was in the empty riverbed with her, but that was hours ago now, he could be anywhere. He could even be in the hills outside the city.

Disheartened, she realized it would take a lot longer to find her savior. The sun would soon rise, and she’d be injured from His light. “I need a place to rest.” Elena sat on a curb. As broken as the streets were, they still felt like home, even more now, as she was as dead and broken as the land she walked. She looked to the moon, and wondered where she should go.

“I can go to the riverbed again, maybe hide under the bridge.” The odd, full moon did nothing in response. “I could hide at that park somewhere. Maybe there’s a way into the church.” Again, the moon did nothing. Elena wasn’t sure why she was looking at it expecting anything. Though the moon was full, it wasn’t the goddess, she had been sealed millennium ago. It wasn’t like she could see or hear her. Elena wanted a sign.

She sat, and stared, going through her options again and again until she closed her eyes in defeat. She could go home or she could find a ditch somewhere. A soft purring pulled her from her reverie, to her side sat the familiar form of a black cat that was far too friendly. He sat up, licked her elbow, and pressed his head into her shoulder. She reached out to pet his head, but he started bounding up the street.

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Elena bolted up and jogged after the little cat. She hadn’t been allowed a cat, nor any pet. Not wanting to let the chance escape her, she kept close, but the cat stayed just out of reach. She followed it up sloping street, the trees on either side drooping their branches and leaves. At the top, the black cat continued walking towards the burned and abandoned university.

It had become a den for the homeless, a group of people Elena wished to avoid. However, it was still night, and the night brought greater protection than the day ever did, or ever will again. Besides, she was dead now, what could they do to her? And if the cat was friendly, then maybe his owner would be just as kind and know where she could hide.

It didn’t take her long to reach the end of the street. The entrance to the university lay in ruins at her feet. The old iron bars had long rusted, collapsing in on themselves and falling to the ground. Black bricks, chipped and worn by time and fire were strewn about, as if someone had taken a sledge hammer and begun, but never finished, destroying the walls. A bit to the side, near where the overgrown trees let there branches hang, stood one piece of the entrance that refused to fall, a stone plague.

“In these halls is a place of knowledge, a place for peace, and a home for the self. Never forget, all are welcome to seek truths.” The author’s name was no longer readable, but the message was clear, and fitting for Elena’s current situation.

Directly inside, the cat paced, smelling the floor as if there were treats nearby. Elena entered the grounds, and saw, nearly immediately inside, an empty fountain with a boy not much older than her staring at the sky. In front of him was a church, burned and scarred by the flames. He leaned back on his hands, head tilted, as if he could hear the moon speaking. The little cat sat on his lap, and curled up to rest.

When Elena got closer, he spoke without prompting. “How mad do you think someone would have to be to get that bar all the way up there?” He pointed with his chin upwards. At first Elena thought he had meant the moon, but he was pointed to the top of the chapel. There, a statue of Rykard, with hands at his sides, palms open, had a large metal rod jutting from his chest.

It was one of the oddest things she had ever seen, and one of the oddest questions she had ever heard. She looked to the boy, who started petting the cat. Even from feet away, the purring was audible. He gave the cat a warm smile, before speaking, “his name’s Shade. He’s a little piece of the night, isn’t he?”

He smiled up at her. She felt an innocent, welcoming feeling from him, as if Shade usually brought him guests. “What brings you here so late, miss?” He was sitting up now, with curiosity etched deep into his eyes.

“I have nowhere else to go,” she replied honestly. He nodded in understanding. Then, feeling emboldened by the cat, and his attitude, said what she wanted to do. “I need a place to go. The Necromancer brought me back, and I need to find him.”

He stopped petting Shade for a moment, before continuing the action.

“That’s odd,” he said, Elena’s heart sinking by the second. He’ll hate me. He’ll turn me in. They’ll kill me. They’ll all be right about me. They’ll all be happy that I’m dead, they’ll–. “Most everyone here is doing the same thing,” he finished.

Elena’s thoughts stopped. Her worried evaporating. “What,” she began, but he already started.

“Everyone here is dead. Me included. We’re all looking for that robed menace, for one reason or another.” He tousled his hair, stretched to the dismay of his cat, and rubbed at his face. “What do you want to find him for? If you don’t mind me asking.”

It took a few moments for Elena to gather her thoughts. She felt unbelievably lucky. This must be fate, she mused. She then explained how she always felt bad for the Necromancer, and how her church had shunned her for her feelings. Then she went on to explain her fathers abuse, her suicide attempts, and her death today. “So, if I’m going to go anywhere, I think I should be with the Necromancer.

The boy nodded along, listening intently. His face never turned sour, in fact, he seemed sad despite his short smile. “Okay,” he said, “I’ll help you find him. We all deserve a place to call home.” He placed Shade beside where he sat, and stood up. Taking one more long look at the statue of Rykard, he then asked, “So, what’s your name, miss?”

“My name is Elena,” she said with a smile, struggling to hold back the tides of relief she felt. “And you are?”

“Depends on who you ask, but I usually go by William.”

William guided Elena through the burned and charred remains of the college. While it had burned nearly a century ago, it was never rebuilt. The places William showed Elena were worn, ragged, moldy, and decaying.

Lights flickered far off from where William guided Elena. William explained that a lot of homeless people lived on the campus, barely able to support their lives. Most of them, Elena noted, wore rags over their faces and sat by fires, barely motioning towards one another. Many seemed sleepy, or sluggish.

“Don’t bother them,” William warned. “They’re not too kind to strangers. They can be jumpy, or paranoid.” He continued walking on the main road towards a mostly intact building built like a flat rectangle. William walked past the weeds, trees, and broken debris towards the front door. He pulled, then pulled again until the door gave way. The inside held a scent akin to the earth, the rain, and rot. The wind had not met this space in many years.

“You can stay here.” William placed his hands on his hips, marveling at his good fortune. “The others will stay away from here, you’ll be safe.”

Elena paused at his words and promises. “Why would they stay away?” She wondered if there was something wrong with the building, or if greater terrors loomed within.

“No, nothings wrong with it,” William explained. “Just that, how do I put this; they don’t want to go here.”

William pointed to the other buildings nearby. Sure enough, each building that was more intact was rejected by the homeless nearby. The places they resided had broken walls, destroyed windows, or missing doors. The buildings nearby the one William had found had all of their pieces. Before Elena could ask, William chimed in, “I have no idea why they ignore these buildings. Seems odd, they’re just bits of concrete. Go where you will, I say. Hey, at least it works out for you.”

He walked inside and immediately headed towards the stairs. Even the hallway was full of debris. Old files, cabinets, and dismantled office dividers lay throughout the halls. Once they reached the top, William opened a door, and inside was a single long table, a chalk board, and chairs.

“It’s a bit away from everything, too. No one should bother you.”

Elena opened her mouth to thank him, but instead her excitement got the better of her. “When do you think we can start looking? For the Necromancer, I mean.”

William tilted his head back and forth before eventually answering, “probably tomorrow night. I have to ask some people where to look, but it should be fine to start tomorrow. I don’t think either of us is busy.”

Elena’s heart warmed. Leaving home had been the best thing to happen to her. Someone cared, and now she was talking to someone who would help her without judgement. She would find the Necromancer, and she would be important, valued. William gave a warm smile at her excitement.

“Now now, don’t get too excited. It’ll take awhile to find him. No one even knows what he looks like, and if the city knows he’s around, they’ll start another panic looking for him.”

This caught Elena off guard. What was a panic? And “why didn’t anyone know what he looked like? He’s got a purple robe, some bones, he’s pale as a ghost and looks like he’s sick. He stands out pretty easy.”

It was Williams' turn to be caught off guard. He answered quickly, “he didn’t mess with your head? Your memories? None of us here remember anything, we’ve been running blind.”

“Maybe he forgot?” Elena answered, more pride welling inside her. She must truly be special if the Necromancer let her remember him.